That Winter, the Wind Blows (Hangul: 그 겨울, 바람이 분다; RR: Geu Gyeo-ul, Baram-i Bunda) is a 2013 South Korean romantic melodrama television series starring Jo In-sung and Song Hye-kyo. A gambler and con man (Jo) pretends to be the long-lost brother of a blind heiress (Song), but these two damaged people come to find the true meaning of love after getting to know each other.[1][2]

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A melodrama about a man and a blind woman, who don't believe in love. Oh Soo is an orphan who is left heartbroken after his first love dies. He leads a goal-less life as a high-stakes gambler with a 99.9% winning probablity. Oh Young is a lonely heiress who lives alone, after her parents got divorced and she finds herself becoming visually impaired. The two learn the true meaning of love after meeting each other.

An orphan who doesn't care about anything after the death of his first love, he becomes a high-class gambler and playboy. Desperate to find money to repay a debt or forfeit his own life, he becomes a con artist who sets sights on a new target: Oh Young, pretending to be her long-lost brother.[8][9][10][11][12]

Younger sister of Soo's first love, Hee-joo. Hee-sun is a quirky, tomboyish girl with a deep fondness for flowers. Though Hee-sun tries to despise Soo after he leaves Hee-joo, she finds that she cannot, and instead helps him in his scheme.[20][21]

This marked Jo In-sung's first television series in eight years since Spring Day in 2005,[27] as well as his first acting project since being discharged from mandatory military service.[28][29] Jo said, "When I first decided to do it, I saw the script and felt it was worth a go. But the more I read it, the more I felt that if I didn't do it right, it would be a total disaster," further explaining that there was a "huge gap between reading the script and acting it out."[30][31]

Song said about her role as a blind woman, "Because my character cannot see, I am unable to make eye contact with In-sung and can only see how it plays out when I monitor the scenes afterwards. I must rely on his voice and his voice carries enough emotional weight for it to work."[30][32] Regarding criticism about her characterization, she said, "Many asked why blind people would wear high heels and makeup, even eyeliner. But when I visited facilities for the blind and asked them, they told me that they also wear makeup and colorful clothing."[33]

The four leads attended the drama press conference held on January 31, 2013.[29][34]

On February 4, 2013, Jo cut his hand while filming a scene in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, where he had to punch a wall in anger, after the glass frame broke on impact. He received 13 stitches for his wound at a nearby hospital, then returned to the set and finished shooting.[35][36]

Director Kim Kyu-tae utilized a lot of ultra close-up shots, to highlight the characters' emotions and accentuate the smallest movement in the actors' faces or expression in their eyes. Cinematographer and visual director Kim Cheon-seok said such visual techniques differentiated the show from the standard set by existing Korean dramas, which usually resort to medium shots or bust shots. To produce such detailed shots, the crew used expensive high-definitionALEXA Plus cameras, known for their rich color and high-speed cinematography. Lighting director Park Hwan also employed twice as much lighting equipment as do other dramas. Another technique the crew used was post-production correction, which was possible because when the first episode aired, eight were already taped. Park said, "It's both my and Kim's philosophy that the actress should look beautiful even when she is wailing."[38]

Among the product placements (PPL) in the series were Laneige cosmetics (featured in episode 4 when the character Oh Young gets a makeover at a Laneige store before her high school reunion; Song has been the brand's endorser for six years), tuxedo maker Parkland, and Hyundai Motor Company. Viewers have complained on the drama's website about the overuse of PPL.[39]

The official soundtrack album of That Winter, the Wind Blows was produced by Golden Thumb, and was released on May 16, 2013 through LOEN Entertainment.[41]

"Winter Love" by The One and "Snowflake" by Gummy charted on Gaon Single Chart at number one and three, respectively, for the week of February 24 to March 2, 2013.[42]Yesung and Gummy performed their tracks, "Gray Paper" and "Snowflake," respectively, on SBS's music program Inkigayo on February 17 and March 3, 2013.[43]

According to AGB Nielsen Media Research, the premiere episode achieved a nationwide rating of 11.3 percent in viewership, ranked third behind Iris II on KBS and 7th Grade Civil Servant on MBC. The second back-to-back episode rose 1.5 percent to 12.8 percent.[49] By the third episode the series was ranked first along with Iris II at 12.4 percent,[50] then both episodes the following week were ranked first in their timeslot.[51][52] In its third week, That Winter, the Wind Blows remained on top, while its two rival series competed for second place with small differences in viewership rating.[53] According to TNmS, the series continued to rank number one in its timeslot for the remainder of its broadcast, though quoting slightly different figures.[54][55][56][57] The series finale maintained its first-place ranking and recorded its highest rating with a viewership of 15.4 and 15.8 percent nationwide, and an average of 19.1 and 18.2 percent in the Seoul National Capital Area, according to TNmS and AGB Nielsen respectively.[58][59]

Scenes from the drama were parodied by sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live Korea on cable channel tvN. On the episode broadcast on March 9, 2013, hosts Lee Young-ja and Shin Dong-yup, in the roles of Oh Young and Oh Soo, respectively, performed a 19+ skit in the SNLK style, including a parody of the cotton candy kiss.[62] The series also been parodied in SBS's own Running Man

In March 2013, Song sponsored the cost of publication of guidebooks for the blind at the Independence Hall of Korea in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. The project was organized by Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, after learning that braille brochures were unavailable at the site and other local museums despite the large number of visually impaired visitors. Song joined the effort at Seo's suggestion in November 2012, noting that her role as a blind woman helped her better understand the daily challenges faced by people with disabilities.[63][64]

Singapore: ONE TV ASIA – The television broadcast rights were purchased by Singapore immediately after the drama's premiere in February. At the time, it was unusual for dramas to be sold and shown overseas before it had finished its original run in South Korea. The premiere episode on March 13, 2013 surpassed its target rating of one percent.[65][66]

Japan: TBS – It recorded ratings as high as 4%; it had been more than 2 years since a Korean drama recorded ratings higher than 3% on a Japanese terrestrial channel.[68]Reruns also aired on cable channel KNTV beginning June 1, 2013.[69]